The manufacture of plastic tubing has been routinely performed by an extrusion process wherein a plastic material is introduced into an extruder which is used to melt and convey the plastic material through a die end on the extruder, and form the plastic tubing.
The plastic tubing manufactured in this way, may be commonly used as straws for drinking beverages, or by producing a thicker plastic tubing, it may be used as a balloon stick. Large numbers of inflatable toy balloons are sold or given away as novelty items each year. Toy balloons are of two general types, those made of an elastomeric material, either rubber or latex, and those made of a non-elastomeric polymer film, usually polyethylene terphthelate ("mylar"). The latex balloons are stretchable, typically have a short neck surrounding the inflation opening, and may be sold either collapsed or inflated. When sold in inflated form, they may be tied directly to balloon sticks because of their elasticity. "Mylar" balloons are non-stretchable, and are typically metallized to give a silvery appearance, and have a long inflatable neck which is secured to a balloon stick by means of a balloon holder. As these balloons are often sold for specific occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, or for get well wishes, it has been found that printing a message on the balloon stick is desirable to enhance the overall appearance of the novelty item, and specialize the gift to the recipient. Until now, no effective way of printing messages on these balloon sticks or plastic tubing has been known, which is both cost effective and easily accomplished during the production of the plastic tubing.